Brian and Megan had been dating for almost three years when one morning Brian woke up extra early (an oddity for a someone working the second shift) and said he was going to the gym and then to visit his father in Two Rivers. He had actually made a trip out to this mother’s house to pick up an engagement ring.

Brian picked up Megan and their dog and told her he wanted to go down by a nearby lake. “We walked out on this pier with the dog and then suddenly he was down on one knee. I thought he was kidding.” Megan was convinced it was as joke. Brian was convinced she thought it was a joke too. In fact, he was a little afraid she might throw the ring in the lake. “But then he started telling me how much loved me and then he pulled out that ring…” And then Megan knew it was real. Brian hadn’t even planned on proposing that day. But when he picked it up that morning and looked at it he thought, “I’m going to propose today.”

“Our wedding theme was ‘autumn’ because it’s our favorite season. We chose cranberry and gold as our colors. My dress was a pale champagne color,” explains Megan. For weeks, Megan had a friend who had continuously given her bridal magazines. “I kept seeing this one dress.” When it came time to go dress shopping, the dress found Megan. “I said “This is the one from the magazine!’” The dress turned out to be not only on sale, but the only one that day in her exact size. In tow that day were Megan’s mom, sisters and best friend of fourteen years and seeing Megan try on that dress brought on a chorused cry of “THIS is the one!”

While most of the details continued to fall into place, Megan was unsure of how to handle her floral arrangements. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted floral wise. We wanted a lot of flowers, but I didn’t know what to do. This was stressful for me. I gave my colors to the florist and let her come up with some ideas.” From spray painted branches in Megan’s parents yard to beads and then no beads, the centerpieces were eventually created. “At first, I wasn’t happy with the centerpieces, but she really worked with Me.,” adds Megan. Painted red branches stood up inside gold mesh netting with an addition of burning bush (also found in Megan’s parent’s yard) were used alternately with arrangements of short vases and floating candles. The result was a stunning, yet earthy effect borne of thoughtful consideration and old-fashioned ingenuity.

One more setback awaited the couple. “We were originally going to have a band, but then they broke up. Luckily our best man used to be a DJ and so we used his equipment. And then Brian created a play list to for three hours. We did everything ourselves.”

There were no disappointments when it came to the cake. Very appropriately, it came from The American Club. Simply put by Megan, “We work there and we LOVE their cake!” Megan and Brian chose the signature wedding cake from the pastry kitchen at the American Club. Described as a “a delicious combination of cheesecake paired with sponge cake” as well as mouselline and your choice of fresh fruit filling; Megan and Brian’s cake came filled with fresh raspberries. Layered with fondant on the outside, the cake was adorned in cranberry colored satin ribbon.

And so, Megan and Brian were happily married in early October of this past year. The bride walked down the aisle to Canon in D and carried ivory roses and burnt orange calla lilies. The men wore all black with touches of cranberry, save for the groom’s ivory vest and tie.
In lieu of an immediate honeymoon, the couple plans on taking an island cruise around the time of their one-year anniversary. “We did, however, take a little time off after the wedding to just relax.”
Reflecting back on it now, Megan adds, “You know, two of my friends just recently go engaged and I cannot stress this enough – everything will fall into place. Don’t stress out. Things will work out. And if they don’t, you’re the only one who’s going to know.”

Anne Evarts of By Invitation had this to say about trends in Invitation color and style….

This is an exciting time of the year for not only brides but for all of us in the wedding industry! We are all being introduced to the latest trends and I have to say that this year promises to be one of the most exciting years to date! The choices in wedding invitations and accessories feature color palettes from fun and sassy to vintage and classic. Brides are having fun introducing these colors into the ever popular “Pocket” designs and “Layered” designs. Ribbons with colors to compliment also complete the ensemble. The Peacock theme is also very big this season. By Invitation is working on an ensemble at the moment that incorporates a layered design in an off white and a deep lagoon colored paper. The ensemble is a real standout with the introduction of a peacock feather design envelope liner in a rainbow of colors. We are carrying this theme throughout with a tangerine colored peacock feather on the thank you note and the church program. Brides are not afraid to have fun with color this year and it makes the invitation ensemble so inviting and fun. A captivating invitation creates a sense of anticipation and drama. It sets the tone and spirit of the event to come.
Although brides are introducing color to their ensembles, tradition still holds true. So many brides tell me that they want to choose something traditional and elegant, but with a “twist”. Traditional wording and monograms are also very popular. The choices in monograms are endless and are chosen to compliment the ensemble font. Again we can carry the monogram through onto the save the date card, the thank you note and the church program. Fonts have also never been more beautiful and the right font will define your ensemble.There has been a gradual but steady shift to brides wanting eco-friendly invitations. This year especially, brides are choosing handmade papers with colorful embedded flower seeds. The invitations are designed to be planted. It is an idea that has been here for some time but is now offered in new designs such as layered square shaped invitations and pocket style invitations. By Invitation compliments the handmade paper invitations with plantable blooming favors and also church programs. It is nice to see more and more brides and invitation companies becoming sensitive to the environment. I think that we will be seeing more and more of this.
Designs, colors and theme choices are endless for the New Year.

I recently asked Karen Jahr from The Elegant Touch to fill us in on what colors were hot for 2011. Here is her reply:

First of all, Congratulations to all the new brides that just recently became engaged. This is such an exciting time for all of you. Planning and decision making all begin with your theme and color choice for your big day! Some of the colors that are popular for this year are as follows: the greens are still in this year lime green and apple green really give you the chance to bring a sheek look with still being able to include other colors to the palette.

The pink shades are still in, such as mauve and hot pink which look great in any season.

Shades of gold and silver are still popular and truly open up many avenues to other colors being added as well. Purples, oranges, and yellows bring that “fresh” Spring look to your event. Also blues are still in style such as tiffany blue and royal blue. Some great color combinations are fushia and black or lime green and black.

Another great idea is chocolate brown with gold this gives a rich look for a fall wedding.

Also a favorite this year seems to be tiffany blue with silver and chocolate brown accents. Whatever color and style you choose for your big day make sure it is what you want and it goes along with the feel of your event.

Like this:

You don’t have to be shabby to be chic! Engaged brides in 2011 are focused on vintage details to create a memorable dream wedding. Grab your grandmother’s pearls and a fabulous broach to create your own vintage style. See more of our fabulous finds below in our latest vintage inspiration board. We found this one on Etsy!